Helping a Friend
by Shadow of the Dragons
Summary: This is the companion fic to Why, this time told in a different point of view. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I DON"T OWN ACCELERACERS!


**Helping a friend.**

**This is a companion fic to Why, this time told from a different point of view. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Acceleracers**

He's stuck in a cell, just like Monkey was. This ticks me off. No one gets captured by the drones on my watch; not even the Teku. And if they are, nothing's going to stop me from busting them out. Which is why I find myself kneeling on the roof of the sweeper, prying a second grate off the drone vehicle. I already took out the drone driving this behemoth. Monkey's still on the roof as well, but this won't take long.

"Go get in the car!" I yell over my shoulder before giving one last tug. The metal grate is freed from the vehicle and I set it aside before looking down into the cell.

Nolo looks back at me, his eyes displaying a mixture of anger, fear, sadness, and worry. The last time they looked like that…it had to be right after his brother was killed. He had the same look back then. He scowls when he notices me.

"Whadda _you_ want?" he grumbles. I roll my eyes, and extend a hand.

"You can stay down there if you want," I reply. "I don't care." He looks down, contemplating whether I'm actually going to help him or leave him high and dry. But I'm not letting anyone go to the drones.

Most people don't understand why I would help Nolo. We're on opposite teams, and Nolo's been pretty ornery around me. But the reason is simple.

I respect him as a fellow driver. And I think that if things turned out differently, we would've been friends. So I help him when he needs it, even if he doesn't want it. I've been doing it for years.

The first time was right after Tone crashed. I got out of my car. But instead of going over to Tone, I went over to Nolo. I could tell he was just about ready to go over there and pull Tone out of the wreckage. But I could also tell that the car was about to explode. If Nolo went over there, there would be two casualties instead of one. Besides, I knew Tone was dead. If the impact didn't get him, the smoke and flames from the burning car had.

I know it sounds heartless, but I had a feeling that even if Tone had still been alive, he would have been more concerned about Nolo than himself. So I restrained the kid. He didn't appreciate that, and tried to fight his way out of my grip, but I refused to relinquish my hold on his wrist. Tone had already died; I was determined to make sure Nolo didn't meet the same fate as his brother that night.

Nolo stopped fighting when the car exploded. He just stopped, and sank to his knees, tears dripping down his face. And his eyes looked exactly like they did just a few moments ago. Anger and fear and sorrow all mixed together.

Since then, I've tried to watch out for him. He's all alone, no brother to look out for him. His parents work long shifts. They're at work before he wakes up, and don't come home until long after he's gone to bed. He rarely sees them anymore. They can't help him if he gets into trouble. So I try to do that.

The next big time I helped him was when we were racing in the city's abandoned sector. It was slated for demolition because no one lived there, and some power plant was going to build a station there. But for now, it was just empty. No cops, no traffic, no pedestrian to worry about. Perfect for racing.

We each started at the same spot and had to end at the same spot; but the route we took was entirely up to us. When we came to the first intersection, I went left and he went right. But then at the next one, I went right too, and started traveling back towards him. I knew it would slow me down, but I was confident that I could make up the lost time. That was when I heard the crash.

I didn't hesitate. I stepped on the gas and sped off in the direction of the noise.

I found his car flipped upside down up against a stack of debris. No movement was coming from the car as I got out of mine and walked towards the wreck. I peered inside, and there he was. Blood was leaking from a gash on his head onto the steering wheel. He was really pale and still, and for a moment I thought he was dead. But then I noticed that he was still breathing.

I didn't know if the car was going to blow or not, so I pulled him out and put him on the ground, far enough away so that if it did blow he wouldn't be in the blast radius. That's when I heard the sounds of distant engines growing closer. I got into my car and drove so I was hidden in a partially wrecked building. Then the rest of the Teku –back then it was only Shirako, Kurt, and Karma. Surfer boy hadn't joined yet – pulled into the road. They found Nolo. Karma called 911 while the other two watched for cars. Soon enough an ambulance pulled up, and the paramedics loaded him into it and carted him away. Shirako, Karma, and Kurt were questioned by police, but eventually let go. Shirako and Kurt managed to get Synkro off the rubbish heap and attached to Baseline. Then they each entered their respective cars and drove off.

I visited Nolo that night in the hospital. He was still asleep, but he was okay. The doctor said that he had a bad concussion, and a broken left leg. But none of the damage was permanent. That was good, he would still be able to race.

He doesn't know I pulled him out of the wreck. As far as I can tell, he and everyone else believes that he managed to jump out of the car before it crashed, breaking his leg in the process. I never told him what I did, and he's never brought it up.

Then in the Swamp Realm, I caused him to spin out. but I made sure it was in a place the vines couldn't reach him. I didn't want him getting caught. And if by some chance Wylde and I didn't make it; well, he would have a shot. It's a good thing that happened. He ended up winning the Accelecharger.

Some people still don't know why I help him. He's always tried to pick a fight with me, always looking for revenge for his brother's death. It's really sad to see how he's let it engulf his entire life. Maybe that's why I help him. Maybe he'll end up losing his need for revenge this way.

Speaking of helping him, it looks like his mind is made up. He reaches out and grabs my hand. I breathe a quick sigh of relief. For a second, I thought he wasn't going to take me up on my offer. Quickly, I haul him out of the cell and onto the roof of the sweeper.

I'm helping him again. Some people would say I should have let the drones capture him. But I'm not letting anyone get taken by the drones.

No one seems to understand why I do this; except maybe Karma and Taro. But the reason is simple.

I'm helping a friend.


End file.
